Apparatus for coating paper or the like



Feb. 13, 1934. BRACEWELL 1,946,831

APPARATUS FOR COATING PAPER OR THE LIKE 1 Filed Dec. 11. 1931 IN V EN TOR.

Fusseu 55m CEWELL ayw w A TTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

Russell S. Bracewell, South Hadley, Mass.

Application December 11, 1931 Serial No. 580,369

8 Claims. (01. 91-44) This invention relates to the art of coating or coloring paper, fabrics and the like, and has as its object improvements in the methods and apparatus by which coating or coloring matter is 5 sprayed on the surface of the paper. Spraying the matter on the material has certain advantages over the usual brushing methods in that a superior character of coating is obtained, brush marks are eliminated, a higher speed of pro- 1 duction is obtained and economies in material and labor are possible. Present spraying methods and apparatus, however, have proved unsatisfactory in that the color, for example, is not deposited uniformly over the surface of the web with the result that the possible economies and advantages of the spray coating have not in practice been realized.

By my method and apparatus, the difficulties heretofore encountered are overcome and a uniform sprayed coating is obtained, using either single or variegated colors.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a detail section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing a modified arrangement.

According to my method, I feed the coloring matter to the center of a horizontally positioned disk which is rotated at a high speed to discharge the color from its periphery in a fine spray against the surface of a web of paper or the like which is moved axially of the disk and transversely curved at the point of application of the color to conform to the curvature of the disk.

Referring to the drawing, a web 1 of paper or the like is drawn from a roll 2 around a suitable guide roll 3 and into the lower end of a hollow conical former 5 which transversely bends the web into arcuate form. Preferably a guide roller 6 is provided to hold the center of the web against the wall of the former at its lower edge to assure proper initial positioning of the web in the former. As the web is drawn upwardly through the narrowed upper end of the former, it is curved into a substantially circular form as it leaves the former and is then allowed to gradually resume its fiat position, passing over guide roller 7 to a suitable wind-up as at 8.

Just above the upper end of the former 5 and positioned coaxially therewith and with the cylinder of paper formed at that point, is mounted a color applying disk 10 concentrically secured to the end of a vertical spindle 11 secured to or formed integral with a shaft of a vertically mounted electric motor 12. The former 5 is cut away as at 13 to accommodate a supporting frame 14 upon which the motor is supported, the cutaway portion 13 being below the point at which the web assumes complete circular form. The disk 10 is preferably provided with a serrated or toothed edge, as indicated at 15, and color is supplied to the center of the disk 10 by 5 means of a pipe, 16 from a suitable reservoir 17 containing one or more colors.

Since the color is applied to the center of the disk, it is discharged evenly and uniformly from all point of the disks periphery and the web 7 being curved concentrically about the disk all points of'the web adjacent the disk are equally distant therefrom and receive equal amounts of color with equal intensities.

To take care of any color escaping at the point where the edges of the web are brought together,

I preferably provide a baffle plate 20 which intercepts the escaping color. Any suitable receptacle as 21 is provided to receive the color draining from the baffle. 0

While I have shown the web as curved into substantially complete circular form at the point of application of the color, it will be understood that I do not limit myself to that specific arrangement since with stiff heavy papers, for example, it may be found desirable to limit the transverse curvature of the web to a semi-circle, concentric with the color applying disk. This latter arrange ment also lends itself to the coating of both sides of a web from a single spraying disk, as shown in diagrammatic form in Fig. 4, where the web 25 is led inwardly along one side of the former 26 to form a semi-circle at 27 in front of the disk 28 and is returned along the opposite side of the former to present the opposite face of the web in a complementary semi-circle at 29. While I have shown the paper as drawn upwardly, I do not limit myself to this direction as in the case of light, thin papers it may be desirable to pass the paper downwardly to avoid tearing of the web which is .c rendered moist and heavy by the coating material.

Various other applications of my invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and it will be understood that I do not limit 35 myself to the particular arrangements shown.

What I claim is:

1. The method of coating paper or the like which comprises progressively projecting the coating matter on the surface of the paper in an arcuate spray while temporarily bending the paof application of the coating matter to the web.

3. The method of coating webs of paper or the like which comprises advancing the web longitu-' dinally and projecting the coating matter in a circular spray against the surface of the traveling web while-transversely bending the web temporarily into substantially circular form, concentric with the spray, at the point of application of the coating matter to the web,

4. Apparatus for coating paper or the like which comprises, means for projecting the coating matter in an arcuate spray and means for, presenting thepaper to the spraying means in an arcuate form concentric with the spray.

5. Apparatus for coating a web of paper or the like which comprises, means for projecting the coating matter in an arcuate spray, means for guiding the web longitudinally past said spraying means and for bending said web into an arcuate form concentric with the spray at the point of application or the coating matter to the web.

6. Apparatus for coating a web of paper or the like which comprises, a former in the shape of a truncated cone through which the web is passed from the larger to the smaller end, a spraying disk rotatably mounted adjacent the smaller end oi the former and coaxially therewith, means to supply coating material to the disk, and means to rotate the disk. j

7. Apparatus for coating a web of paper or the like which comprises, a former in the shape of a truncated cone through which the web is passed from the larger to the smaller end, a spraying disk rotatably mounted adjacent the smaller end of the former and coaxially therewith, means to drive the disk fromits underside, and means to supply coating material to the center of the upper face of the disk.

8. Apparatus for coating webs of paper or the like which comprises, a former in the shape of a truncated cone through which the web is passed from the larger to thesmaller end, a spraying disk having a serrated edge, rotatably mounted adjacent the smaller end of the former and coaxially therewith, a drive shaft fixed to the under side of the disk and a pipe opening vertically above the center of the upper surface of the disk for supplying coating material to the disk.

RUSSELL S. BRACEWELL. 

